


What a Little Love Can Do

by thebrodman97



Category: Persona 5, Persona 5: The Royal - Fandom
Genre: Akechi Goro Redemption maybe, Alive Yoshizawa sisters, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Ren has a dad, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Sojiro will still matter, i love the Yoshizawa sisters, long fic, will add more tags as needed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-06-20
Packaged: 2021-03-03 11:08:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24469978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thebrodman97/pseuds/thebrodman97
Summary: Ren's life changes dramatically when he decides to protect someone, and he ends up wrongfully accused of assault. He is abandoned by everyone in his life. Friends, family, teachers, all the people who should be helping him, protecting him, loving him.His mother and step-father decide to wash their hands of the problem, letting his life be ruined by a corrupt man. However, when his father finds out that his son's life is in tatters, he steps in and shows him the love that all children deserve from their parents, and providing the wisdom that only a father can bring.It is amazing to realize what a little love can do.
Relationships: Akira Kurusu/Yoshizawa Sumire, Amamiya Ren/Yoshizawa Sumire, Persona 5 Protagonist/Yoshizawa Sumire
Comments: 26
Kudos: 97





	1. What happens when someone cares

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my first fic and i am sure that it will have many problems, but please be patient with me. i will learn, i will adapt, and i will improve. 
> 
> However, as my friend Almost Electric would say the focus audience for this work is first and foremost me, so if you don't like decisions that i have made as far as pairings, story/character choices, or even the inclusion of OC's, then stop reading. This fic is for me and those who decide they want to take this journey with me can.
> 
> I hope you all enjoy my ideas and thoughts on the these wonderful characters.
> 
> Now, without further gilding the lily, I present What a Little Love Can Do!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes we all need someone to intervene.

Life in a small town really isn’t all that exciting, so Ren wasn’t surprised to hear murmurs upon his return to his highschool. The students have never been subtle, especially when something as big as a model student ‘assaulting’ a man for no reason became the gossip around town. 

Two nights prior to this morning, Ren had been returning home from a long practice with his dance club. As he was making his way through the suburbs before his neighborhood, he heard a struggle, and a woman’s voice. She was begging to be left alone, and screaming for him to stop harassing her. He rushed as fast as he could, he needed to help her, its what his father would do. When he finally saw the struggle he noticed a bald man, clearly drunk, grabbing onto the woman he had heard and trying to force her into his car.

Ren couldn’t sit back and watch, the woman was clearly afraid for her life. He confronted the man, who was bald and wearing shades at night, like a complete tool. Baldy had told him to mind his own business and Ren refused. The bald man tried to punch Ren, he dodged, and the man fell on his face. 

Somehow, the tool was able to sue Ren for assault, after blackmailing the woman to lie and say that Ren had hit the man. Ren was arrested, and spent the night in jail. Someone at the precinct must've spread the word, because it seemed all of Oguni knew about the incident.

Most of the conjecture surrounding his arrest had been on his reason for ‘committing’ his crime. Of course, every idea speculated was wrong. He heard some suggest that the man had insulted him and that he had gotten angry enough to hit the man. Another thought going around was that dance practice didn’t go well and he was taking his frustrations out on a random citizen. 

The most interesting concept put forth was that he could have suffered from a psychotic breakdown. It would make sense, these incidents happened when people seemed to become crazy out of the blue, becoming violent, committing suicides, or just losing any sense of reality. It was a truly frightening affliction.

The breakdown incidents were slowly becoming more frequent, but they never seemed to spread much farther than the bounds of Tokyo proper. Ren could understand the suggestion, he was the definition of a model student, got high grades, was part of the dance team, was delightfully pleasant with most everyone. However, after the other night, those smiles he used to be greeted with became looks ranging from indifference to actual fear. 

The fear baffled him, Ren wasn’t a particularly big guy. He had messy ear-length hair; he could never tame the beast so he just let it be. His mother also described his hair as inky black, it had some grayish highlights, which contributed to the idea. He was skinny, a little more than was normal for a person his age. He also was tall for a Japanese teen, his friends used to call him lanky, standing at 5’11’’ (1.8m), he felt that the term suited him just fine. Lastly, his eyes were ash  colored, he figured that was the most intimidating feature he had, if you really tried to find something about him that was intimidating. All in all, Ren was not used to the looks of fear.

He heard all these things on the way to school. Upon reaching the entrance, he spared no looks to anyone and tried to ignore the rumors he was hearing. It wasn’t like anyone would believe him if he told the truth about what happened. 

He made his way to the third floor, already tired of the school and wishing for his first year to be over. The court had yet to convene about what to do to punish him for the incident. That meant that until his court date he was free to attend school. He didn’t know how to feel about that decision, but he was given a little leeway, because of it being his first offense and the fact that a few of the officers were old friends of his mother’s.

The thought of his mother brought back to the forefront of his mind the look of sadness she had that night, when she met him at the station after being detained. She had told him that she was sorry for not being able to raise him better. 

His step-father was less kind to him about the situation, he made his displeasure known almost immediately. The man was an ass, to put it bluntly, but his mom found the man charming for whatever reason. Ren had come to the conclusion that Raido Shinamura was a straightforward and serious man, as opposed to Ren’s real father. 

His mother, Miya Amamiya, now Miya Shinamura, married Raido two years prior, and Ren never really bonded with the man. He was unnaturally stern and didn’t approve of Ren’s choice of hobby or career goals. He said that dancing was worthless and hadn’t moved from the position. However, his mother was sweet, but was never able to connect with him on a deeper level. After marrying the asshole, the rift only grew. 

Ren often found himself wishing that he had lived with his dad, but his mom had won custody when Ren was little and refused to let his father raise him in Tokyo, so far away from Oguni. 

His father and mother split when Ren was barely old enough to remember, about four if Ren remembered correctly. So, thankfully Ren had known them mostly separate, the divorce not really affecting a kid who didn't understand what it meant. His mother refused to talk about why, but he assumed that things ended pretty badly considering his mother had a vehement hatred of his father. Sometimes Ren would wonder if he stirred up those emotions in her sometimes, considering he looks so much like his father. He had asked before and she would deny it, but he could never shake the feeling. 

When Ren entered the classroom it was a little over half full. His homeroom teacher had yet to show up, and the students quieted upon noticing him enter. Making his way to his seat at the back far wall, towards the window, he sat quietly. 

He was unnerved by the silence and hoped people would get over the incident soon, he really did not want to be known as the guy who assaulted someone for no reason for the rest of his high school career. Ren stared out the window and noticed it about to rain. He allowed himself to open his nothing box and let the day pass over him, hoping it would not get any worse.

* * *

The early spring showers were a perfect representation of her emotions. She had failed to meet expectations, again. Even though she recently hit a growth spurt, she couldn’t stop the feelings of unworthiness that formed within her.

Her sister had done amazing in practice today. Kasumi had always surpassed her, never seeming to stumble as bad as she herself had. She was talented, bold, beautiful, confident, driven, everything that Sumire herself could never seem to be.

They were walking home from practice, the rain pouring, pounding against the violet nylon of her umbrella. Sumire felt that she wouldn’t find it in herself to care if the rain hit her directly, if only to let her feel numb enough physically to numb her emotional state. She hated feeling this way, she hated always being second best, she hated that she knew that no one really saw her. She was a speck compared to Kasumi, and she hated her for it.

Sumire couldn’t stop the hate that formed within her, how could she? Seeing someone else achieve everything you wanted to, and do it seemingly without effort, it is impossible not to envy them. Now add the fact that for fifteen years of her life it had been this way. Fifteen years of trying to keep up with her sister, and failing miserably (in her opinion). It was maddening.

She had started to slow down, lost in thought, and she watched her sister pull ahead. Her almost dark chocolate brown high pony-tail bobbing along. She wore her black athletic clothes, they were provided by their middle school, and carried a black umbrella. Even with all the dark colors, Sumire still thought she practically glowed with energy, the antithesis to her own feelings.

* * *

It didn’t take very long for Kasumi to notice that Sumire was lagging behind. She had been so accustomed to having her sister by her for so long that having her suddenly not there was unnerving. Kasumi had noticed that Sumire had seemed down, but didn’t want to probe her about it. Her little sister had been withdrawing herself from her lately, and Kasumi didn’t want to make it worse by forcing her to talk. 

Kasumi turned to face her sister, her eyes downcast, withdrawn, almost absent in the world. Sumire had done this a few times, but each time it was getting harder to perk her up. However, Kasumi Yoshizawa was driven to see her cute little sister smile again.

“Today was brutal, huh?” Kasumi asked, in a questioning tone, trying to get her sister to talk.

The girl trembled slightly, ‘not a good sign’ thought Kasumi. She seemed to agonize over something. Kasumi wished to comfort her, after all Sumire’s pain was Kasumi’s pain. She loved her sister dearly and had promised that they would reach their dreams together, to be the unstoppable gymnastic duo, the Yoshizawa sisters.

Kasumi turned to her sister. “Feeling okay?” questioned Kasumi, knowing she needed to help her sister.

Sumire looked up slightly, showing her red eyes, which seemed darker due to the mood. She wore a pair of rectangular black glasses, which more often than not just hid her gorgeous eyes. She had matching beautiful red velvet hair, which cascaded down to the middle of her back, and bangs that swept to the right on the bottom, same as Kasumi’s.

Sumire shook her head, “It’s not that...”, she finally let out. Kasumi paused, waiting for her sister to continue. Sumire returned her gaze to the ground, and continued, “Why am I doing so bad? I keep messing up my routine…”

She stopped, stood in front of her sister and smiled at her, “Your growth spurt’s just changed your eye level, you’ll get used to it”, Kasumi said, trying to help alleviate the  disappointment. She continued, “Look! You’re as tall as I am now”, she raised her hand to show the comparison.

“We practice the same amount… But you are the one who always gets first place”, Sumire lamented, “ I can’t catch up to you Kasumi…” 

Kasumi understood the frustration, her own growth spurt made things harder for her too late last year. Sumire was experiencing it now, because they were born eleven months apart. However, Kasumi was sure that once Sumire got used to the physical changes and grew more confident, she would easily rival her in gymnastics.

Not knowing how else to help, Kasumi tried to lighten the mood, “Well you know why?”, she put her hand to her chest, “Because it’s my right as the elder sister”, she then proclaimed in a mock arrogant tone. Trying to bring back at least a small smile to her downtrodden sister.

“We’re in the same grade though”, countered Sumire, not finding the humor in Kasumi’s joke.

Kasumi turned back forward, “Aw, don’t be so down”, she stated. Kasumi really didn’t know what to say to make her sister feel better. Hopefully, Sumire would lighten up if Kasumi tried to stay chipper. Sometimes she wished she was better at cheering her up.

Kasumi decided that reminding Sumire about their shared goal would help bring fire back to her little sister. “We’ll reach the top of the world together… that's our dream, right?”, asked Kasumi. She truly believed in this dream, her sister was talented, beautiful, amazingly graceful, and incredibly kind. Kasumi could not see herself at the top without Sumire beside her, it just didn’t make sense to her.

“You don’t get it”, replied Sumire. Her tone startled Kasumi a bit, and she lost her smile. “You’ll never understand how I feel”, she continued. Sumire was right too, Kasumi knew she lacked the ability to understand her sister. The fact that Sumire felt this way and she didn’t see it told her as much. 

“What?”, was all Kasumi could respond with. Suddenly, Sumire started to run past her, and Kasumi needed to follow her. She needed to understand her sister, Kasumi couldn’t bear it if she unknowingly made her sister so sad.

She had to stop her, she called out, “Hey, wait up!” Kasumi ran after determined to help her sister, and show her the love she needed.

* * *

Taiga Kurusu was walking on a somewhat busy sidewalk, ...in the rain. In the drenched streets of Tokyo. He hated this time of year, it rained constantly, the sky was almost always depressingly dark, and his students always seemed more morose at this time. 

He knew it was seasonal depression, but the Nihilism that his students always seem to perpetuate during late winter/ early spring had become an irritation when trying to teach his students moral philosophy. That was the part of the curriculum that he had set up for this time of year, so he mostly did it to himself. That’s why he valued every student that wrote papers with a more forgiving and optimistic lens on the topic. It was not that he graded them better, he just valued less depressing readings, god knows that the world could use some more joy. He could use more joy.

Taiga had barely known joy since his divorce, even if it was over a decade ago. It still hurt, losing the love of his life, and his son. In fact, the last time he had felt joy was when he saw his boy, Ren, nine months ago. His ex-wife Miya still held full custody and refused to let him see his boy more than once a year, during the summer. He could have been more forceful in the court, fought harder, oh how he wanted to fight harder for the kid, but he couldn’t do it to him. He didn’t want to make him hate his mom, Taiga wouldn’t be able to do that to Miya. As much as she loathed him, he couldn’t hate her, it was his fault that they divorce after all.

“Hey, wait up!”, yelled some girl behind him, teenager probably, breaking him out of his thoughts. He heard fast footsteps and the exclamations of people behind him, being pushed aside.  He turned around and saw a young girl, about Ren’s age, barreling towards his direction. She had striking red hair and glasses that were covered in rainwater. 

“Stop, the light’s red!”, shouted another girl behind the redhead. She had chocolate brown hair, done up in a ponytail. The brunette was chasing after the other teen, begging her to stop. Taiga watched as the bespeckled one continued to run past him, seemingly intent on going into the busy street. The father’s eyes widened, unbelieving in what he was about to witness. He was about to see this young girl, possibly younger than his own son, kill herself in front of him. Taiga’s mind went on repeating, ‘what if it was Ren, what if it was my boy’. He inhaled sharply at the thought, feeling a stab of grief shoot through his chest. 

‘What if no one stopped him’, his mind finally arrived at that thought. Unable to let any other parent feel that kind of pain, he thrust his hand, grasping hers and locking with as strong a grip as he could. She gave a gasp of surprise. Then he yanked back with as much force as he could, to prevent this young woman from ending it all, when she shouldn’t have too. He took her in his arms, preventing her from hitting a car that flew by two beats later.

* * *

Kasumi was having an anxiety attack. Her body pumped with adrenaline, pushing her to reach her sister before it was too late. Why would Sumire do this? What would make her run into a busy street? Was she trying to kill herself? The older sister couldn’t understand. She tried to make her feel better. So, why would Sumire do this?

Her sister, her loving, kind, gentle sister, was charging into the street. Kasumi knew she couldn’t catch up with enough time to stop her. She could keep her from that inevitable fate. Kasumi couldn’t, wouldn’t, watch her die. ‘Please, God, keep this from happening’, she begged whatever power could prevent such a terrible thing from happening.

Then she saw a man look at her sister, grab her by the hand, and pull her back, back from what would have been certain death. She noticed a car speed past, what would've surely caused her little sister’s demise. 

Kasumi stopped as suddenly as she could, but she was unable to prevent herself from basically crashing into her sister’s savior. He barely seemed to notice her hitting him however. The man towered over her standing at six feet, freakishly tall for a Japanese man, and, nine inches above her, as well as her sister. She saw a short mop of inky black hair with small bits of white.

She heard the guy say to her sister in a smooth baritone, “it will be fine, i’ve got you.” He sounded gentler than any other person she had heard before. Kasumi noticed him turn his body away from the street, bringing her sister along, and kept holding her in a tight grip. After doing this Kasumi could see more of his features, he had a very nice dark brown suit and a red tie, as well as  a thick trench coat covering it. However, the coat had been soaked, because in his haste to grab Sumire he dropped his umbrella, but he didn’t seem to care.

Sumire shook in his grasp, Kasumi was sure her sister was crying into the man’s chest. He released his arms, and dropped his body to look directly into her sister’s eyes. His ashen eyes conveying all the empathy that existed in the world. He brought one hand to her face, wiping the droplets from under her eye and said, “what you are feeling is a temporary problem.” 

He stopped and looked to the road, pointing to the cars that continued to pass by. “That is a permanent solution”, he continued. 

Trench coat guy stood up once more, “whenever you feel depressed, like life isn’t worth living, remember while you may think you aren’t worth it. Your family believes that you are worth the world”, he explained compassionately. He then showed the biggest smile, “I should know, I’m a father, and I would take on the world for my son”

Kasumi saw the man’s eyes flick towards her. The godsent man dug through a pocket in his slacks and produced a business card. “Here, if you two need anything, someone to talk to your parents, or any other problem you think i can help with, please contact me”, he stated, handing Kasumi the card.

The brunette took the card in her hands and looked at the writing. It had written upon it, “Taiga Kurusu, PhD”, and then proceeded to list his office number, home phone, and email. She nodded gratefully to the older man, out of genuine appreciation than politeness. 

The people around them started to disperse, the walk light had turned green. Seeing this the man spoke directly to the elder sister, “you girls can make it home safely, right?” Kasumi nodded, confirming for both her and her younger sibling. Sumire had been silent since the man spoke to her. Kasumi couldn’t begin to understand the thoughts going through her mind.

The man breathed deeply, in relief she assumed. He smiled again, “please, get home safe, and let your sister sort her thoughts and speak to you when she chooses to”, he told her. Once again, Kasumi could only nod in affirmation, willing to accept whatever suggestions he would provide her. 

He turned back to her sister once more, “your family will be more devastated than you could possibly imagine, and while you can’t see it yet hope is on the horizon, you need only last long enough for the light to touch you.” Kasumi found the words incredibly inspiring and hoped her sister did too. 

The brunette approached the redhead and hugged her with all the love and care she could muster, and then squeezed her tighter than even that. Kasumi always shot for the stars, and now she will dedicate everything she can to letting her sister know how much she loved her. Sumire  didn’t reciprocate, not that Kasumi blamed her. She promised that her sister would never again feel this way, she wouldn’t let her.

Mr. Kurusu picked up his dropped umbrella, shook it out a bit, and looked to the sky. Kasumi followed his gaze and saw the golden rays of the sun peeking through the clouds, and the rain began to stop. He then collapsed the rain deflector and secured its strap. He smiled once again to the sisters, “have faith, tomorrow brings a brighter future.” At that moment, the sun’s rays hit his face. Kasumi knew if she were to ever meet this Mr. Kurusu again she would thank him till the world ended.

He started to walk away, and Kasumi shouted to him, “thank you so much, have a great day!” He turned for a second and gave her a grin, it would have been mischievous if his eyes didn’t convey such compassion. Then he proceeded to keep walking, blending into the sea of people. He left the sisters alone, and Kasumi knew she would make the most of the gift he gave her.

* * *

Ren’s day, despite his hoping, had gotten worse. His once kind teachers had now shown him thinly veiled disdain. His classmates treated him like the plague and his ‘friends’ seemed to actually run away from him when he tried to approach them. He hoped that he could at least enjoy dance club, but they had blatantly barred him from the club, despite all the effort and dedication he had put into the club by that point. It really was true, in this society if you don’t bring respect to your school, friends, clubs, even family, they treat you like a disease and abandon you.

He now found himself on his walk home, the sun still up. He was thankful no one seemed to be around him. That way he could walk in peace. Unfortunately, that is when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He pulled out his phone and saw his dad’s contact information. Ren’s stomach dropped, he didn’t want to explain to his dad about his current predicament. His father was someone he loved very deeply, and he couldn’t hear the disappointment that could come from the man. The thought of his father disowning him over this already broke his heart. How could he muster the strength to actually hear it from him? 

Ren decided to let it go to voicemail. If his dad was going to abandon him like everyone else, he didn’t want to deal with it right now. After the last ring Ren released his breath and continued walking home. He felt another single vibration, he checked his phone once more. He had a message notification from his dad. Ren's fingers trembled as he steeled himself for the pain that he could feel, and he tapped the notification. 

The message popped up and it said, “Im coming to Oguni”


	2. Ren's new life begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taiga decides to step in. Our young protagonist makes his way to Tokyo and begins his probation. His father takes him to his favorite cafe, and Ren gets settled in. Meanwhile, Sumire has a very important talk with her father.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im sorry I took so long, but i was having trouble with the Sumire scene. I hope i conveyed her feelings well enough and made it somewhat entertaining. I hope you enjoy the changes i have made.

Taiga Kurusu was fucking livid, and even that statement felt grossly inferior to the levels of actual rage that burned within him. He had learned, not more than twenty damn minutes ago, that his son was charged with assault.

However, that factoid was not the thing that pissed him off. He could not believe that his son could do something as malicious as an unwarranted assault. On the other hand, the fact that it had happened two days prior and no one, namely his ex-wife Miya, had bothered to tell him, the boy’s goddamn father. Needless to say, being kept in the dark about something so important to his son’s life had made him  _ a little miffed. _

The philosophy professor had wanted to call about setting up a day to see his son. Seeing that poor girl attempt to end her life made Taiga realize he shouldn’t be content with seeing his boy so infrequently. However, when she dodged his phone calls and made him have to call up her  _ new husband _ , he finally learned the truth. 

Raido had been almost ecstatic to share information on Ren’s arrest. Shinamura had never liked Taiga or his son, and had little problem showing it. The man was disgusting, he always went out of his way to make things worse between Taiga and Miya. What his ex-wife saw in the douchebag he could never understand. Was it her fear of being alone? Did she hate him so much that she had to find a man who was his exact opposite? Did she not see how terrible the man was?

Taiga had tried his damnedest to convince her not to be with him, but she seem to not acknowledge his views. It was the final rift between them and he knew that he could never have what he lossed ever again. Up until her marriage to Raido he had held hope that they could be a family again. That she would forgive him, and that he could be with her and his son like he had always longed to.

However, none of that mattered now. He had a train ticket to purchase and a class to cancel. First thing the next morning he is heading to Oguni. 

* * *

“ **I’m coming to Oguni** ”

Ren had stared at the message his father sent to him for several minutes. He had not expected to see his father yet, and he could only feel terrified at why he felt the need to come. He trusted that his father would at least listen to his side of the story, but there always remained that little part of himself that doubted. He couldn’t shake the fear. The little part of himself that always told him that it could get worse was getting louder, and he could not make it quiet.

The day had been bad, and he had a feeling that it would only get worse. Especially if his mom knew about his dad coming to Oguni. Ren only hoped that she had decided to tell him and not Raido, because if Raido was the one who told his dad then it could only make his parents hate each other more.

Like all kids, especially children of divorced couples, he wanted his family to get along. However, his fractured family had never been the same since the divorce, and his step- _ father  _ only drove the wedge farther. Ren knew that Raido did not like him, he was a remnant of her previous husband. Also, he knew that with every passing year he looked like his father did when they first fell in love. 

He assumed that was the reason that she was so distant with him now. His mother looked at him and saw all the painful memories of a time she seemed desperate to forget. Ren did not want top be reminder of that, in fact all he wanted was for his mother to see him, and not his father. She was his mother dammit, she was supposed to love him not matter what, and now with this assault charge ruining his life he could see her want to just be rid of him and everything he represented in her life.

Making his way through the backroads that lead to Raido’s house, it would never be his house, he prepared himself for what might be a most awkward evening. He could barely stand the thought of looking into his mother’s eyes and seeing the resignation in her eyes. It would be heartbreaking, he just wished that the court would hurry up and send him to juvie. He was prepared, and it would let him not have to see that look anymore. There is nothing that he would not give to see his mother’s smiling face once again, but that seems like a distant dream now.

Ren approached the front door of the house he had lived his last three years in. He steeled his nerves for what was sure to be an uncomfortable evening. Inhaling as deep as he could he opened the door, and walked inside.

* * *

“Ren Amamiya, you have been found guilty of petty assault”, announced the old fart in the important chair. 

Ren was not surprised to hear it, there was no evidence to contradict the charge after all. However, the only reason that he could be charged was with an eye-witness testimony corroborating the accusation. Which was provided, unfortunately, by the woman he had tried to help. It hurt to look in her eyes and to know that she was lying, saying those exact words that would ruin his future. She looked, at the very least, guilty. The woman avoided eye-contact whenever he tried to look into her eyes. He could find solace in the fact that she appeared to regret what she was doing, but it still felt awful. Ren hoped she would be alright, he understood why she had to do this.

“Normally, charges such as this would incur a punishment of two years of incarceration. Which in your case would be juvenile hall”, the judge continued. 

“However, because this is your first offense, and, as I have researched, you are a model student”, the judge smiled down to Ren. “I believe that something of that severity would be unwarranted, but you must still serve some punishment…” 

The judge seemed to mull over his thoughts, and Ren felt hopeful that maybe he wouldn’t have to be removed from all of his friends and family. He could do community service, it would give him some more to do. If he could stay home, he could convince his friends that he wasn't a dangerous person. Maybe they would give him a chance. Maybe his teachers would realize he was still a good student. Maybe he could see his mom smile again.

“Probation in Tokyo, it’s far enough away so you won’t be tempted to stir up more trouble around here”, the old fart finally arrived to a decision, and Ren’s hopes dropped like a sack of bricks.

The judge continued, “It will be up to your mother and step-dad to find a suitable guardian to watch over you for the duration of a year, which will start on April ninth of this year”

Ren slacked in his seat, that had been not as great as he would have liked, but he guessed it was better than he was expecting. He gave a big sigh. 

Raido, who was sitting next to him, did little to hide his enthusiasm. His step-father was there to witness the trial, so that his mother would know what was decided. Apparently, she couldn’t bring herself to pull away from work.  _ It was understandable, who would decide work was more important than being there for their son _ . Seeing Raido’s smug grin, made Ren glad that he would be away from the asshole at the very least.

As the judge was about to slam his gavel, Ren heard a voice, “Excuse me your honor, may I make a suggestion?” 

The teen’s eyes widened, and he snapped his head to look towards the source of the question. His eyes met with the identical ashen gray of his own father, Taiga Kurusu. His dad gave him a look of sadness, of which Ren thought would be disappointment, but there was too much empathy in his eyes. In that moment Ren’s fear that his own dad would abandon him evaporated, and he was left with relief.

The judge looked at Taiga, and back to Ren, obviously seeing the resemblance. “Are you the boy’s father then?”, asked the judge. 

Taiga nodded in affirmation and gave a brilliant smile, “It is what his birth certificate would say”, he joked. The judge gave a small smile in return, appearing to enjoy the levity.

“What would your suggestion be then?”, asked the older man, motioning for Taiga to approach. To which his father did.

Taiga stood in front of the judge, passing in front of both Ren and Raido on his way. Raido gave a look of contempt, clearly not happy with his presence at the trial. Ren, however, was wondering what his father could even say to make the situation better. The judge appeared set on this line of action. 

They spoke in a quiet conversation, and Ren could only see the judge’s expression, which went from surprise, then contemplation, and finally acceptance. The old coot motioned for Ren’s father to return to the audience, of which there was not many, mainly curious townsfolk and some people in suits, that appeared to be non-local. As his father passed him once more, he gave his a look of reassurance, something that he desperately needed.

The judge then spoke up once more, “Given the circumstances, and the fact that Mr. Amamiya’s father resides in Tokyo, I have decided that his probation will be supervised by Mr. Kurusu for the duration.”

Raido spoke up immediately, in his brassy timbre, “What about the choice in guardian being the decision of myself and the kid’s mother?” He looked very unpleased by the turn of events. REn never understood the hate that Raido had for his father.

The judge replied, “The fact that such an incident even occurred while under you care is enough to make your judgement questionable.” Raido glared at that. “Also, Mr. Kurusu has the appropriate accommodations to house the defendant… it stands to reason that the boy’s father would also want to keep him out of trouble”

Raido stood up, clearly angry now, “This is supposed to be a punishment, not a vacation, his father would not be firm enough to keep him in line!”, the man exclaimed. The judge looked unimpressed.

“The purpose of probation is not to make a person feel oppressed and a prisoner, it is  **rehabilitation** , and having someone to look after him, who genuinely cares about him will push him to make the right choices…and that is what i have decided”, retorted the judge, striking his gavel and ending the trial before the jackass could make it worse.

Ren stood up and made his way to his father. Taiga met him halfway, and they embraced. The son let out tears of relief onto his father.

Taiga whispered to him, “I missed you so much, kiddo” 

* * *

Sumire had a rough morning. She woke up feeling more empty than usual, but not from a failure to match her sister. The emptiness came from the looks she got from her family when she got home. They gave her wary glances, like they were around an abused animal and they just wanted to show it love, but they didn’t know how. She was not some animal, she was a person, but she couldn’t blame them. How could she? She never told anyone about her insecurities, she never shared her feelings of self-hate, she never let anyone into her sadness. Why would they care, she was just stupid worthless Sumire

The depressed girl was now sitting in her room, her mind a maelstrom of emotions. She knew she was a screw up. She couldn’t perform the right steps anymore, she couldn’t speak up for herself, she couldn’t even commit suicide right. 

She knew what she was doing, she made the decision to end it. That way Kasumi didn’t have to waste so much time on her. Kasumi would probably be so much better at gymnastics if she didn’t have to help her with every. single. Routine. She wished she had succeeded, wished that her pain had ended, wished that Mr. Kurusu hadn’t pulled her back.

The thought of Mr. Kurusu made her remember the look in his eyes, his warm ashen eyes. He showed so much care. Care for someone he didn’t even know. Sumire didn’t even know that anyone could show so much empathy, but those ashen eyes did. She also remembered the feel of his hand, when he brushed her tears away and told her that she was worth something, she still didn’t believe him. However, she allowed a smile to rest on her face, maybe believing in that lie wouldn’t hurt. If only for a little while...

A knock sounded from her door, and Sumire felt her smile disappear. The spell was broken by the sudden noise.

She heard her father’s voice from the other side of the door, “Honey, may I please come in?”, he asked. She got up and opened the door for her father, her eyes downcast and hidden by her glasses.

In the doorway stood her father, Shinichi Yoshizawa, he had ear-length pale gray hair, as well as dark black eyes. His tone was heartbreaking for Sumire to listen to. She hated that she made her father feel this way. However, it was definitely better than how he would have felt if she had been successful, but at least she wouldn’t have had to live with it. The young girl knew that her dad would have to talk to her. He is a good dad, and good dad’s help their daughters.

He took a deep breath, “Hey honey, is it fine if i come in?”, he asked her once more.

She nodded, and made her way to her bed sitting on it. She let her father take her desk chair. He sat down and started to wring his hands together, clearly unsure and uncomfortable with what he needed to talk about. She felt like she knew what it was.

“Honey, you know that i love you… right?”, he decided to ask. Her father was still reeling from that knowledge that she tried to end her own life. She didn’t blame him, it wasn’t as if she shared her inner thoughts with anyone, especially not her sister. 

“I know you do dad… and i’m sorry...”, she said. Sumire felt hopeless, she knew that her father and sister loved her, would help her with anything. She should be happy, there was no reason for her not to be, but she wasn’t and her family would not be able to help her.

The girl of crimson looked up, tears streaming down her face, but staring into her father’s eyes. “I’m sorry i can’t be stronger, i'm sorry i can’t be better, i’m sorry that I can’t…”, her father pulled her into a hug, tears streaming down his face as well. He held her tight, like if he were to let go of her she would just fade away. He rubbed her back and let her sob into his chest, letting her release her emotions for the first time since her mother died.

She continued, “I’m sorry i can’t make you proud…”, and Shinichi’s heart broke upon hearing those words. He squeezed his daughter harder, trying to convey the love he had for her as mush as possible with his gesture.

Her father inhaled slowly, collecting his thoughts, and spoke, “You make me so proud, I see how hard you work, I see your determination to improve, I see you trying your best to help us. You cook better than either me or Kasumi. You provide the love and care for us that had left when we lost your mother, and that is what makes me prouder than anything else as your dad.”

Shinichi pulled his daughter back from his grasp, “nothing makes me prouder than seeing my little violet being the most loving and caring person she can be”, he told her, while looking into her eyes.

“I love you so much, so can you please do something, not just for me, but for yourself?”, he asked her. Sumire wiped the remaining tears from her eyes, and nodded.

Her father continued, “I want you to see a therapist, I know that I can't help you, but I need you to see someone who can.” The daughter winced, she had expected this, even though she did not want to.

“I can’t imagine living in a world without my beautiful daughter…, Sumire please see someone who can help you.” Her father was serious, and she did not think he would take no for an answer. She knew her father would want her to see a therapist, he is a good dad, and that's what good dads do. So knowing that he would not let her get out of it, she nodded once more

“Okay dad, i’ll do it, I don't want to feel this way anymore”, she agreed.

Shinichi hugged his daughter once more and went to leave the room, “I’m ordering out tonight any requests?”, he asked with a lighter tone. Sumire smiled at her father. She felt better now that she had shared a bit with him.

She shook her head, “no whatever you get is fine”, the red haired girl responded.

Her father looked at her once more, “I love you, my beautiful violet, more than you can possibly imagine”, he told her once more.

Sumire smiled at her dad, trying to convince him she was fine, “I know dad”, she responded.

He left and closed her door softly. Leaving her alone in her room once more.

“I’m sorry im so worthless”, she whispered to herself, small tears forming at her eyes. She laid down and wept into her pillow. The girl did not know if she could get better, even with help.

* * *

It was decided, Ren hated trains. They were cramped, sweaty, stinky, and warm. It was just revolting. The boy swore he saw a man sneeze and not even bother to cover his mouth. ‘I hope to god that not all city folk are so dirty’ he thought to himself. He liked to be clean, he liked to smell good, but if he was expected to ride the train to get around he expected that he would have a harder time being clean.

He was currently riding the subway from the outskirts of Tokyo into its heart, Shibuya. Shibuya was the central hub of Tokyo, and where all the other train transfers would be. He had to get to his father’s house to start his probation. His old man had told him that he lived in a district called Yongen-Jaya, apparently it had a more calm atmosphere. Hopefully, he would be able to be at least a little bit from the crazy that was the rest of Tokyo and it’s residents. 

“Shibuya, this is Shibuya”, were the words announced on the speaker. He felt the train slow down to a halt. The ink-haired boy raced out of the train car as soon as he was able. He was practically starving for fresh air.

The young man made his way towards the top of the steps and into the heart of Tokyo. He took a big breath and looked around. His eyes widened even farther, he saw a sea of people, everywhere. He couldn’t see the streets, not the concrete, save for what he was walking upon. His mind drew a blank, unable to comprehend that this many people could even exist within such a small area.

The boy stared out, slowly processing, he saw the people around him and everywhere come to a stop. Not like they stopped walking, but rather like they were frozen in time. He saw birds, mid flight, still as statues in the air. There was a man drinking water to the side of him, the water’s flow petrified mid stream. 

What was going on, did the quantity of people drive him insane? Was his brain shutting down from over stimulation? He whirred around until he spotted a clear line, devoid of people, leading to a pillar of black flame. The fire morphed and shaped into a vaguely humanoid shape, with orange-red streaks, making what appeared to be eyes.

He peered closer, he really was going insane, and saw the form evaporate and his own face appear. It held a manic grin, two steps from insanity, but it’s eyes glowed with a golden hue. He blinked, trying to shake the insanity he was suddenly feeling, but when he opened his eyes once more, it was gone, and everything was moving once more. The boy with gray eyes shook his head once more and took a few steady breaths. He wasn’t ready for this, Tokyo was going to make him crazy.

Ren felt a tap on his shoulder, and then heard a soothing baritone, his father’s voice, “Hey kid, had a feeling you just got here.”

The ‘kid’ turned towards his father, and hugged the older man. It had been two weeks since he had last seen him, but he still missed his old man. His father hugged him back, and Ren felt as if his time in Tokyo wouldn’t be so bad, at least he would get more time with his dad.

Ren spoke up, “Yeah, I did… there are so many people here, how does anyone focus?” Taiga laughed in response. Ren assumed it was because his rural upbringing was showing.

“You get used to it, most of them just tend to ignore everyone else”, answered the man. Ren shook his head in disbelief, he didn’t think he’d ever get used to it.

Taiga pulled his son with him, “C’mon kid, we got places to be”, he explained good naturedly. Ren just allowed himself to be pulled along, he trusted his father.

“I got a favorite cafe near my house. We are gonna swing by, Boss makes the best curry and coffee in all of Tokyo, you have to try it”, said the man excitedly. He pulled Ren towards the transfer line that led to Yongen. The boy smiled, he was actually in just as good a mood as his father. Taiga’s exuberance was infectious, and Ren was happy to have his father show him all the best spots in the city.

When they hopped off the train, Taiga led Ren down a couple alleyways, away from the traffic of the street, and Ren saw a small place of calm in the storm of the world’s largest city. The backstreets of Yongen-jaya were small and a little run down but the alleys were lined with varying cafes and small shops. His father turn right down another alleyway, which led to a retro looking cafe.

It had a red door, with an open sign on it. Beside the door was a chair that held a chalkboard, used to announce specials and promotions, He looked up to the top and read the name LeBlanc. The cafe was tiny, but it added more appeal. It was like those places that only locals would know about, and were better as a result.

His father opened the door and ushered him inside, the interior was as retro as the exterior. It had a long bar counter on the right side, behind the bar was a wall off bags of various coffees. To the left were three booths enough to seat four comfortably, six if you were desperate. In the last booth was an old couple enjoying the atmosphere and some coffee. 

There was a middle aged man leaning against the bar counter, he wore a pink dress shirt and tan pants, with a brown apron over it, probably the owner. He had an aged face and slicked back salt and pepper hair. Lastly, he had a very prominent Van Dyke (Goatee without the mustache). He appeared to be doing a crossword, if the pencil and newspaper were good indicators.

“A shellfish used in pearl farming, seven letters”, the owner spoke aloud to himself. He somehow did not notice their presence. 

Ren’s father perked up and answered the older man’s question, “Oysters Boss”, his father spoke with an amused tone.

The owner’s eyes flicked up to his father, then to himself, he didn’t look that surprised. Maybe ‘Boss’ did notice them. Hey gave a cool smirk, and wrote the letters into the boxes.

The man in pink spoke up, “Well, looks like your right, as always.” Boss had a smooth baritone, with a hint of hoarseness, probably from his age. He put the newspaper on the counter, and turned to greet the two newcomers.

“Ahh, Taiga, it's nice to see you”, he greeted. The graying man turned to Ren, “You must be his boy, I see the resemblance.” Ren was unsurprised, he always looked more like his father, than anyone else in his family.

His father spoke up, “Indeed he is Boss.” Taiga put his left arm on Ren’s shoulder, giving a beaming smile. Ren in turn gave a smaller, more reserved smile. He wasn’t used to feeling such pride in him. This probation probably wouldn’t be so bad.

“From what I remember, your dad said your name was Ren, is that right?”, asked Mr. Boss. Taiga pushed his son forward a bit, prompting Ren to be polite.

“It’s nice to meet you sir, my name is Ren Amamiya”, greeted the boy, giving a slight bow to the man.

Boss chuckled, “the feeling’s mutual kid, my name is Sojiro Sakura, but most everyone calls me boss”, announced the older man, still with a smirk of amusement. Ren wondered how long his father had known the cafe owner.

“I’ve heard a lot about you kid, Taiga was really excited to be able to see you”, Sojiro turned to Taiga and asked, “no problems with the ex-wife?” Boss had known his dad for long enough to understand the situation it seemed.

Taiga shrugged and answered, “nothing she could really do, she had no grounds to keep custody and the judge liked the idea of Ren being with someone who cared about him.” His shoulders dropped slightly, “didn’t stop her from yelling at me though… but i get to spend time with my boy, and that’s all that matters”, he finished confidently.

Ren hoped his mom wasn’t too bad, but his mother was never reasonable when it concerned his father.

Sojiro gestured to the far end of the bar, the part closest to the coffee siphons. “Please sit, I’m assuming you didn’t just come here to chat”, requested Sojiro, as he made his way behind the counter and to the small open kitchen. It had a pot of curry, Ren assumed, simmering on the stove. It smelled heavenly, cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, and chili being the most prominent spices permeating the air of the small cafe. 

Ren found himself salivating, and his stomach rumbled. He had not eaten since this morning, so caught up in getting to Tokyo. The smells had made his body remind him of that fact. 

The boy sat in front of the two active coffee siphons, flames under two glass bulbs, which contained the bubbling dark brown liquid. The robust scent of coffee mixed with the invading spices, which grew stronger as he sat down closer to the kitchen. It created a beautiful medley of calming dark roast and alluring ambrosia. It brought a feeling of warmth into such an intimate cafe. The dark atmosphere and light pitter patter of rain, that started almost as soon as they entered the building, comforted him. The boy turned to look at his father, who smiled serenely at him. His father seemed to know what he was feeling. LeBlanc cafe was a place that radiated peace, he understood why it was his father’s favorite spot, and now he knew it would be his favorite too.

* * *

Ren woke up in his new room, in his father’s apartment. He had been there a few times when he had visited his father in the summer, his father had a two bedroom apartment specifically for that reason. It had light gray walls, and a lovely red trim on the baseboards. He had a hardwood floor, his father said it was easier to clean, Ren agreed pretty quickly after he spilt juice the first time he visited. He had a full size mattress, a luxury compared to the twin he had in his old room at his mom’s house.

He had a single window to his left, with a brand new desk beside it. The window had red drapes hanging from it, and the desk a simple dark brown piece. In the far corner of the room there was a small bookcase with a variety of different novels. His father used it to house his favorite literary pieces, a wide variety of old stories. His old man asked if he wanted it moved, but Ren didn’t mind it. He thought the books might be interesting to look at. On the other side of the room, to his right, was the door and the box of all the things he had brought here from Oguni, as well as a body mirror. The box held mostly clothes and a few posters of various dance groups, and one of Arsene Lupin, the gentleman thief. It had him depicted in a red suit and a black jester's mask. Ren grabbed it, because the color popped out to him.

He lifted himself up off the mattress and got dressed in his new school uniform. He put on the black and red plaid pants. The base color was black, with red lines, outlined with white, making a lattice all over the slacks. Then he put on his white turtleneck, with two chevrons pointed up on the left side of the neck, he then attached his suspenders to the hem of his pants and pulled them over his shoulders. Finally, he put on his black blazer over his shirt. It had red buttons, four in fact, which let the top portion of his shirt show. The blazer had the school’s emblem placed on the left breast. It was a kite shield emblem with three chevrons pointed vertically, and it had a ribbon with text under it that read ‘Shujin Academy’.

He looked at his desk and sitting on it were a pair of glasses, they were ovular and had a solid black frame. He placed them over his eyes. They were not corrective lenses, but he chose to wear them, because they helped him look more unassuming. He reasoned that being more unassuming would help him stay out of trouble.

He looked at himself in the mirror, ‘at least this school has some style’ he thought to himself. ‘I'm glad it’s not some gross color, like solid gray, that would be a tacky uniform’.

The young Amamiya left his room to meet his father, who had been sitting at a small round dining table. He was reading a newspaper and sipping on a steaming cup of coffee. His dad looked up at him and smiled once again.

“I’m glad i got the measurements right, it looks like it fits perfectly”, stated Taiga. He had a white dress shirt, black slacks, and a gray vest on. 

Ren nodded and spoke, “it fits amazingly dad, can i get some coffee?” Ren gestured to the kitchen area. 

“Sure, kiddo, I've got some made in the siphon already”, said the man. Ren looked in the kitchen and saw a siphon, similar to the ones in LeBlanc. It was cheaper, obviously, and had a heating element instead of an open flame.

“Why not a normal coffee maker?”, Ren asked.

“Sojiro ruined normal coffee for me, I can’t stand the cheap stuff anymore. So, I spend the extra money on good beans and an adequate siphon”, responded Taiga.

Ren understood, Sojiro’s coffee made basic ground coffee taste like burnt bean juice. He poured some of the steaming coffee into a red mug, his mug, The smell reminded him of the previous night, and brought back that feeling of serenity.

When he finished the pour he sat at the table, in front of his old man. He sipped at the brew, no need for sugar or cream, an excellent cup of coffee should need neither and be tainted by neither. It had light chocolate notes and a robust flavor, a truly beautiful cup. 

Ren’s father placed the newspaper down. “I was thinking we could hit up a nice pancake joint in Shibuya, before we make our way to Shujin, how does that sound kiddo”, he asked.

“That sounds fine dad, I'm excited to see what kind of school would even accept me.” In all truth, Ren was excited, he did not expect a single place in Tokyo would be willing to teach him. Being a delinquent was a very undesirable trait to have.

“Kiddo, you had excellent grades before the incident, it’s not surprising that at least some place would accept what is otherwise a star student.” The statement reassured Ren a bit, this probation thing would probably be fine.

“So, we are going to take my car, the trains have been delayed today due to an accident and I don't want to be caught up in the delays too bad” Ren nodded in agreeance, it made sense.

The boy finished his coffee and so did his dad, and then they made their way out to Shibuya.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew! I wanted to write more, but this chapter was already over 5k words and i felt like this was a good stopping point. Next chapter, is when the fun begins. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. See ya next time.
> 
> P.S. the following chapters will not be so focused on Taiga, I wanted to establish his character, so you knew where his motivation is.


	3. Ren Sees Red

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren gets a taste of the consequences of his actions, has a weird dream, and begins his first day of school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

Ren and his father stood before the gates to Shujin. It was named aptly, the place was designed like a prison. It had one entrance and a basic paint job, you’d think it was a detention center. The boy had hoped the uniform’s style would extend to the building, but he had no such luck.

They went into the school, they found their way up the stairs and to the principal’s office. His father walked in first, followed by himself. 

They noticed an older woman, probably in her fifties, with black shoulder length hair and kind brown eyes. She had a pair of glasses with gold frames. There was a split in the middle of the lenses, horizontally, indicating that they were bifocals. She had a chain attached to the back of them, so she could keep them around her neck. 

She gave a smile and beckoned the two over. "How can I help you two gentlemen today?", she asked. Brown eyes flicked between them, and lingered on the older of the two males. Ren glanced towards his father, he was slightly smug at the attention. The boy just rolled his eyes, his father enjoyed attention from the other gender. He just wished he did brag about it.

Now that they were closer, they noticed her name tag. It read "Sakuya Sanada", it should be easy to remember.

His father piped up, "My son and I are here to see Principal Kobayakawa, is he in?"

The older woman's kind eyes lost their luster and changed to apprehension. Ren was saddened by the severity of the change. However, he wasn’t surprised.

"Then is this the new transfer then, Ren Amamiya?", her voice lost its levity and now was replaced with annoyance? The boy figured that the secretary would know about his record, if not the entire staff. But annoyance was not the tone he was expecting. Maybe she was just very strict and his delinquency just put her off more. That was his best guess.

Ren looked towards his father, who didn't look pleased at the attitude change. He tried to send his father an apologetic look, but Taiga didn't care to notice. 

The older man then greeted, "Yes he is, My name is Taiga Kurusu… A pleasure Mrs. Sanada” Ren admired his father’s self control, but he figured the man had a lot of practice. He was a teacher after all.

The woman gave a smile at his father once more, “Actually, It’s Ms. Mr. Kurusu.” She spoke in a suggestive tone, and the insinuation made him more uncomfortable. He wanted more than anything for the conversation to be over. The secretary pressed a button on her desk. ‘Oh thank God.’ The gray eyed boy assumed it was to inform the principal of visitors.

About ten seconds later, a woman with chin length, messy, dark brown hair opened the door that led to Kobayakawa's office. She appeared to be in her late twenties, and had matching dark brown eyes. Her outfit consisted of a yellow long sleeve shirt, that had red and white horizontal lines, a blue denim knee length skirt, and white kitten heeled shoes. Ren found her attractive, not in the want to seduce her way, but the objective way. Unfortunately, she had slight bags and her eyes seemed lethargic. 'Must be having a long day', he thought sympathetically.

"You must be Amamiya-kun, come in we've been expecting you", and she sounded just as tired as she looked. The pair made their way into the office, following the low energy woman.

What Ren saw would forever change his life. He had read some english superhero comics once and never thought he would meet an actual mutant, but there he was.

**The Blob** .

The man, who was obviously in charge of the school, sat behind the only desk in the room. There were no other chairs but the one he was sitting in. The teen had no idea how it could support his weight.

The principal was a very rotund man. He had a bald head and a tan suit on, with a red tie. It looked like his body would spill out of it and he appeared to have no neck. Was that even healthy, did he need a doctor, at least a nutritionist, 'cause that man needed to lose some (a lot of) weight.

It was at that point that Ren realized that he had been ignoring the conversation happening. He was too caught up in looking at the living mutant from the x-men series. The boy saw a look of disdain in the Blob's eyes. Probably best to pay attention, no use angering him further.

"To reiterate, just so we're clear, you will immediately be expelled if you cause any problems", said the human marshmallow. He knew that already.

"In my opinion, you're nothing but a liability, but we had our circumstances to consider", he continued. 

_ That was interesting _ ... what circumstances would make them accept a delinquent at their school?

The man Ren was sure was at least 20% pudding continued, "whatever you might've gotten away with in your hometown… those days are over." So nothing, literally only ever did the ‘assault’.

"If you are thrown out from our school, there will be no place for you to go. Keep that in mind" 

A fatty arm gestured to the only female in the room, "this is the teacher in charge of your class." Well at least I get a cute teacher, and not some strict moron.

The cute teacher chimed in, "I'm Sadoyo Kawakami… here's your student ID", she placed the card on the desk, and the boy noticed a paper under it.

It appeared to be some pink flyer with a doily design on the bottom of it. However, as Ren went to inspect it, she swiped it back. He didn't see any more details. She was impressively stoic about it. 

What could be on there?

"Be sure to read the school rules. Any violations will send you straight to the guidance office… And, if by chance you cause any problems, I won't be able to protect you at all." 

She then turned to the husky man, "... that IS your promise, yes, Principal Kobayakawa?", she finished. Ren had almost forgotten that the mashed potato man had a real name.

Said potato grunted a response, "he is responsible for all his actions."

"But really though, why me? There should've been better candidates", the tired teacher whined. The teen wasn't very fond of being treated like a burden, but he knew it was going to happen.

Ren turned to his father, who had narrowed eyes. At least his dad appeared to be as annoyed as he felt. Hopefully, his father wouldn’t be too bothered by it. This was a burden he had to bear himself, not that he wasn’t thankful, but he didn’t want to bother his dad too much.

The other two occupants of the room continued to have a conversation, but Ren had ignored most of their words. His older counterpart was getting annoyed, Ren could feel it.

The man chose to speak, "Is that all Mr. Kobayakawa?", asked Taiga. Ren could tell he was trying to keep his voice level.

This broke the conversation between the two staff members. The Blob regained his  _ frightening  _ face.

"Yes, that's all, please keep a close eye on Mr. Amamiya… no one wants an incident to occur", requested the overflowing man. 

Both the father's and the son's eyes twitched at that. This man had very little tact. Ren already hoped he wouldn't have to deal with this freak of nature again.

However, Taiga regained his composure quickly, "I'll have a talk with him about the expectations and the severity of his situation."

The reply appeared to placate the human bowl of Jell-o. Who nodded in return.

The tired teacher interjected once again, "come to the faculty office when you arrive at school tomorrow. I'll show you to your classroom." The woman stayed on task and Ren appreciated that.

The father and son duo nodded, then made their way out and down the stairs, leaving the two once more. 

As they made their way to the entrance Taiga stopped and fiddled with a lock of his messy hair, twisting and feeling it. This habit indicated that his dad was intensely thinking. Ren knew this, because he shared that trait. 

His parent spoke up, "that principal is an ass..." Ren gave a chortle. He had never heard his father curse, but he agreed with the statement. 

"I know you've got a record, but that's no reason to treat you like that. That is unbecoming of an educational institution.", the man lamented, turning towards his child.

“At least the teacher doesn’t look like she’ll treat you like a blemish.” No, more like a burden, but he wasn’t going to refute his dad.

"I wish I could do more for you, kiddo, but this really is the only school that would take you".

Ren gave a response, "it's okay dad, I'm just appreciative that a school would offer to teach me." He was honestly relieved that it wasn't worse. He didn’t know what would happen if he couldn’t finish school.

His father acquiesced, “you're right, it could be worse.” The man smiled and beckoned him out the doors of Shujin and back into the chaos of Tokyo.

**_What a little love can do_ **

Ren laid down on his bed, enjoying the comfortable firmness. It had red sheets, black pillows, and a black comforter. He found the colors to be very pleasing. He had two pillows, not that he needed them, but his father decided to spoil him when he was younger, and he had always been thankful for it.

The teen got under the covers and laid down, excited for the following day. It would be a new start for him. No student should know about his record, so he should be able to meet some people. He also knew he could join Shujin's dance club, it would be good to move around and show his style to all these city people. He could even learn something new.

He pulled out his phone, to set his alarms for tomorrow, three, he hated being late. It was overkill, but he wanted to set his best foot forward.

As he turned the screen on, he noticed the app that he saw from the day before. The weird eye on the red and black background. He decided to delete it, he had no idea what it did and it creeped him out. It was best to get rid of it.

Sleep suddenly beckoned him. He set his alarms, and let himself drift into the abyss of dreamland.

**_What a little love can do_ **

He heard the rattle of chains, and a light sound of a woman singing an opera. It would be beautiful if it was not so jarring to wake up to. His eyes opened, and he saw blue, lots of blue everywhere. His body was laying upon a much less comfortable, more rigid, and smaller ‘bed’. It was more like a bench. His eyes saw a more ‘cozy’ room, and what appeared to be padding, like that of a solitary confinement cell. He could hear a dripping noise, and he looked at its source… a toilet was placed at the opposite side of the small room.

He rose to his feet and to one side of the room he saw bars, like a prison cell. Looking down he noticed that his attire had changed to a matching set of black and white striped clothes, ‘like a convict’. He moved towards the bars and felt a weight on his left leg. He wasn’t surprised to see a ball and chain attached to his leg, it fit the theme of his weird dream. He heard a girlish chuckle come from outside the bars.

When he looked back towards the sound, he saw a weird looking platinum blonde girl appear from the right, and then a similar one appear from the left. They both wore a black eye patch, on different eyes, with the letter “V” over each patch, and a blue prison guard outfit. The girl on the left had a long braid and a hat with the letters “O-Y-O-O,” while the girl on the right had hair buns and a hat with the letters “X-M-R-N.” They would be cute if they didn’t have the most unnerving yellow eyes.

Ren looked up from the two girls, who seemed content to just stare at him. When he did, he sputtered a bit. He saw a very nice wood table, with a quill and inkwell. There was also a stack of paper to the side. However, what had made him sputter was the man sitting at the table.

The man was the antithesis to the Blob’s blobbiness. He had long thin legs, spindle arms, and pointy fingers. But the freakiest part was the man’s face. He had bulging bloodshot eyes, his pupils were so small they had no color other than black, with bushy/spiky eyebrows to match. He had a bald head, with a skirt of gray hair that reached his mid back. His smile was wide and unnerving, all teeth. Finally, the craziest feature was his nose, it was long and thin, mosquito-like in shape. 

Ren had felt like he had enough of seeing freaks of nature.

The creepy man extended a hand towards him, palm up, and spoke in one of the deepest voices he had ever heard, “Trickster… Welcome to my Velvet Room.” The voice was amplified by the space around him. It reverbed with a tone that unsettled him.

Outside the cell, was a large open area, with an embroidered rug that the desk sat upon. There was a ring of cells around the space, encircling the desk, which was facing his cell and was several feet away from him.

“So, you’ve come to,  **Inmate** ”, taunted the girl to his right. She was like a nagging child

The girl to his left added, “The you in reality is currently fast asleep. You are only experiencing this as a dream.” She sounded more tired than the teacher he met.

What. The. Fuck. is going on in this dream?

The first blonde then chided him, “You are in the presence of our master, so stand up straight.” Definitely the weirdest dream he had ever had.

The nose guy decided to speak up, “Welcome. I am delighted to make your acquaintance.” The man sounded otherworldly, and very patronizing. 

“This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. It is a room that only those that are bound by a ‘contract’ may enter. I am Igor, the master of this place. Remember it well.” 

I hope I don’t, you are a nightmare.

“I summoned you to speak of important matters… It involves your life as well.”

“Let me out”, the teen growled out. This nosy man was freaking him out. Ren started to shake the bars, desperate to loosen them.

The girl to his right struck the bars with an electrified baton and reprimanded him, “Know your place  **Inmate** ! Who do you think you’re talking to!?” for such a small girl, she was surprisingly intimidating.

The creepy man continued, unbothered by the interruption, “Still this is a surprise… The state of this room reflects the state of your own heart. To think a prison would appear as such.” That actually made sense considering his probation. 

“You truly are a “prisoner” of  **FATE.** ” … well that was ominous, and not the fun kind.

“In the near future, there is no mistake that  **RUIN** awaits you.” Yeah i'm about to grab your handle-like nose and ruin your face.

Ren was very sick of this… nightmare? He was unsure, but he didn’t like it.

The ‘prisoner’ inquired, “Ruin?” The young Amamiya had to admit that he was curious about what was going on, maybe his brain was trying to tell him something, in a very twisted, creepypasta sort of way.

The otherworldly man indulged his curiosity, “I speak of the end to everything.”

…  **WHAT?** The end to everything, what is this bug-eyed man talking about?

“However, there is a means to oppose such a fate.” That ‘should’ve’ been reassuring, but it really wasn’t.

“You must be “rehabilitated.” Rehabilitated toward freedom… That is your only means to avoid ruin… Do you have the resolve to challenge the distortion of this world?” 

If I said yes, would you go away?

Ren answered out coyly, “I’d rather avoid ruin.” 

If this asshole was gonna beat around the bush, so would he.

The suited man appeared to be pleased, “Allow me to observe the path of your rehabilitation”, he said whilst drumming his fingers on the desk. He appeared bored, or interested. It was hard to read a man whose eyes never blinked and had a permanent cheshire grin.

The two girls moved more in front of him. Igor seemed to remember their presence. “Ah, pardon me for not introducing the others. To your right is Caroline; to your left, Justine. They serve as wardens here.” The names were definitely foreign.

The one with buns, Caroline, spoke up, “Hmph, try and struggle as hard as you like.” She spoke with a haughty and condescending tone.

The one with the braid, Justine, added, “The duty of wardens is to protect inmates. We are also your collaborators.” Justine spoke in a more subdued, bored tone. At least it didn’t seem like he was going to get dom’ed by two toddlers.

“...That is, if you remain obedient.” 

Okay maybe he was. This was going in a direction he didn’t want it to.

Igor called out again, “I shall explain the rules of these two at another occasion.”

“Now then, it seems the night is waning… It is almost time.” If only he would quit being so damn ominous, it was making him very uncomfortable.

“Take your time to slowly come to understand this place.” 

The young man was starting to think this wasn’t just a dream, but he really hoped it was.

“We will surely meet again eventually” Please god no.

Igor lifted his hand and, as if on queue, a very loud alarm bell went off. Ren looked around for its source, the noise was jarring. He needed to make it stop.

Caroline looked at him, like she loathed him just for existing, “Times up. Now hurry up and go back to sleep.” 

How could he, no one could sleep through an alarm like that. In fact, wasn’t an alarm like that meant to alert people?

Ren grabbed at the bars, and he started to feel his consciousness fade. Soon all he saw was black.

At least the alarm bell wasn’t ringing anymore…

  
  


**_What a little love can do_ **

A sudden noise, a phone alarm, caused red eyes to peak open and take in the waking world. 

Brushing her scarlet hair from her face, the younger Yoshizawa sister sat up from her resting position. She grew annoyed at her phone alarm. It had woken her up from a nice dream, she had not had any for several months. The girl reached for her phone and slid the bar to silence the sound.

Petite hands rubbed the sleep from her eyes and she did her best to recall what she had dreamt. She remembered gray, a comforting warm gray. Ever since she had been saved, two weeks ago, she felt more ‘normal’. She had hope now, and that was more than she had two weeks previous. Ever since she had met Taiga, she had grown more fond of the color gray. Sumire knew that it was weird for a single color to bring her that sense of peace. However, she decided that she would take what she could get.

The girl decided to get dressed, it was her first day of school. Normally, she would have been excited, but she could not find the energy. After the incident her father had decided to send her to a therapist. 

The therapist was named Dr. Maruki, and he was very nice to her. After a long discussion, and a little opening up, he had suggested that she take a break from her gymnastics. She vehemently denied the idea, but he told her that she should find herself outside of what she shared with her sister. He was very persuasive. Sumire knew that he was trying to help, so she decided to try his way. She agreed to take time off, but only for a month.

The redhead got dressed, She wore the standard turtleneck and blazer of Shujin academy, but as a girl her standard uniform included a skirt of the same pattern as the pants that the boys wore. She also put on black leggings and her favorite red loafers. Her crimson locks remained down and she put on her black framed glasses. She looked at her form in her mirror, she hated how plain she looked, and could not stop herself from drawing the comparisons to her sister. Kasumi was so much prettier and more interesting. She even had a beauty mark, which added to her lovely face. 

Sumire knew that she wouldn’t draw a second look.

The fifteen year old decided that she needed to get in gear, she didn’t want to be late after all. 

She made her way out of her room and saw her sister. Kasumi hadn’t been able to look at her the same way as she did before. Her older sister didn’t patronize her, but Sumire could see that she was struggling to decide how to speak to her. The bespeckled girl just wanted her sister to treat her the same as always. She counted her blessings that Kasumi had decided not to ask her about why it happened. If she ever saw her savior again, she’d be sure to thank him for telling her sister to let her decide when to speak about it. It saved Sumire from a conversation she really did not want to have.

The brunette in question looked up from her bag, she was double checking the contents.

“Hey little sis’ how are you feeling today?”, she asked, her tone upbeat as always.

Sumire gave her sister a small, disarming smile, “better, Dr. Maruki gave me some tips on how to sleep better, and I feel rejuvenated and ready for the day.”

Kasumi gave her a beaming smile in return, Sumire swore something in her eyes twinkled, “I’m so happy, a good night's rest is the first step to a productive day.” Sumire knew that of course, their coach practically told them every time they trained.

Her older sister looked at her more intently, she questioned, “Are you sure that you want to take a break from gymnastics? If you relax too long it will be all the harder to get back to where you were.” 

“It won’t take that much”, Sumire responded disparagingly.

Kasumi frowned at her sister, “don’t talk like that… you’re amazing!” The redhead doubted her sister’s words. She was too nice to her. That was part of what made her so frustrated.

The younger of the two looked up at the clock hopefully. If it was time to leave, she might be able to avoid the rest of this conversation.

She had forty-five minutes, it was plenty of time, but she could convince her sister that she wanted to be early.

Making her decision, she told her sister, “I’m going to go, I don’t want to be late.”   
  


Her sister frowned again, and grumbled out, “If you kept doing gymnastics you could have come in later with me.” She sounded like a displeased child. The thought made Sumire laugh internally.

“I know, but once I come back I'll be an honors student too…”, She said. She didn’t actually think she was good enough for the school to make her an honors student, but she knew that Kasumi wanted to hear her say it.

The older sister smiled once again, “that’s right and then we’ll take the school by storm!”, she announced excitedly. Kasumi was once again caught up in her own world.

The red eyed girl picked up her school bag and headed out the door, displaying a small smile. Today was going to be a good day. She could feel it. Maybe she’ll find something to make her different. No, she will find something to make her different.

Today was the day that everything will change.

**_What a little love can do_ **

She took it back, today was not a good day. It was raining… again. She should have thought about it. It was still early spring, April in fact. And because she didn’t think about it, she forgot her umbrella. 

It was raining quite hard when she got out from the station platform. The cold water soaked her hair, she could feel the freezing droplets fall off the tips. She hated the rain.

She saw an awning that could provide shelter, and a single unassuming student under it. ‘Probably forgot his umbrella too’. He had black hair and glasses. He appeared to be a second year if the ‘2’ on his blazer was an indicator. The ravenette was looking at his phone, ignoring his surroundings. 

She made her way swiftly under the awning. Her light footsteps, a habit from gymnastics, were masked by the rain. The Redhead stood to his right. He appeared not to notice her. She was thankful really, she didn’t feel that confident in talking to someone new right now. 

She decided to inspect him closer. He was tall, several inches above her, and he had a thin body. It wasn’t stick-like, it was more like a swimmers body. See looked towards what she could see of his face. The blackframed glasses, like hers, he wore were covered in rain, which made it hard to see his eyes. Finally, he had defined features, a prominent chin, a pointed nose, and a slight frown, like he was thinking. 

He was her upperclassman, as she was a first year, so he probably wouldn’t be bothered to talk to her. While the thought made her sad, she was hopeful that she was wrong. She was just too shy to make the first move. Sumire pulled out her phone, if he did notice her, it would be less awkward for her if he thought she was just absorbed in her phone like he was.

After a few minutes, she heard heavy heeled footsteps. The redhead looked up and saw a girl in a Shujin uniform. However, she wore red leggings under her skirt and a white hoodie under her blazer. Her hood was up. The boy next her noticed the new girl as well. somehow, he still didn’t notice her.

The new girl wiped off the rain from her sleeve and then pulled down her hood. Sumire was surprised to see a cascade of gorgeous platinum blonde hair fall down. It was done in two side ponytails, which both reached chest length. 

The boy next to her gave a small gasp, and she didn’t blame him, the girl was beautiful. She had pale blue eyes, and light pink lips, the redhead couldn’t tell if it was natural or not. She had similarly defined features as the boy, yet they were more soft and feminine. Sumire then noticed the girl’s figure. She was more ‘pronounced’ than most women in japan; this girl had to have some type of european blood in her genetics. The redhead felt a small surge of jealousy, this girl was more impressive physically than she would ever probably be. There was no way any boy would react to her like that.

The girl then turned to notice both the ravenette and herself staring at her. Sumire turned her face, embarrassed at being caught staring at the blonde. She kept a more ‘secretive watch’, turning her face to notice the blonde giving the older boy a smile, confident and not surprised at his gaze. This girl knew about her effect on others.

She turned back forward and looked out, waiting for the rain to let up. The boy followed her lead, but his gaze lingered for a few seconds. The bespeckled girl decided to look forward as well, making her presence known now would only make the situation more awkward.

  
  


As she looked out she saw white sedan pull up to the curb. Its window rolled down and Sumire saw the squarest jaw that existed in the world. The driver leaned forward and Sumire recognized the face of Suguru Kamoshida, Shujin’s volleyball coach and olympic gold medalist. He was the school’s main draw, his team was very renowned and it brought the school a lot of funding. Funding that was used to make it one of the finest preparatory schools in all of tokyo. That's why Kasumi and herself chose to go Shujin.

The coach called out to the blonde girl, “good morning. You want me to give you a ride to school? You’re gonna be late.” His voice was a bouncy tenor. 

She heard a soft voice come from the blonde, “Um, sure thank you.” Then the blonde walked over to the passenger side door.

Kamoshida looked towards her and the older boy, “do you need a ride too?”, he asked them both.

She saw the dark haired boy wave him off, and she decided to follow suit. So, she shook her head. She didn’t feel comfortable with the idea of showing the school’s superstar how embarrassing she was to have around.

The man looked at her specifically, in an uncomfortably odd tone he asked, “Are you sure? I wouldn’t want you to be late.” She found it weird that he would only ask her that. The boy next to her would be late too.

Unfortunately for her, this prompted the boy to notice her. He gave a gasp upon noticing her. She probably frightened him, and she looked away with an embarrassed blush.

She avoided his eyes, but she heard Kamoshida give a laugh as he rolled up the window and drove away. She focused on anything other than his face. Too flustered to even defend herself.

**_What a little love can do_ **

Ren liked the color red. He really liked the color red.

It was stylish, went well with everything (especially black, which he was also fond of), and it drew the eye.

So when he looked to his left and saw the most gorgeous head of scarlet hair, he was, one, surprised, and ,two, intensely curious. 

He accidentally let out a gasp. It was embarrassing really.

After seeing that incredibly attractive blonde girl he wasn’t expecting to look the other way and see another amazingly cute girl. He hoped he didn’t freak her out, that would be a bad first impression.

She turned her head away, but not before he caught sight of her red face. Oh no, he did freak her out.

He saw black framed glasses, incredibly similar to his. She was petite, and had some of the nicest legs he had ever seen. Her red hair flowed down to her hips, and she had adorable bangs that swept to one side. The blonde was very pretty, but Ren almost forgot about her upon seeing such a breathtaking girl.

Did he mention he liked the color red.

He heard the driver laugh and the car driving off, but he couldn’t stop staring at her. The teen knew he should have, he was obviously making the girl uncomfortable, but he wanted to look into her eyes. He needed to see them.

However, he heard heavy footsteps, someone was running. He turned to see a panting blonde boy. Lamenting his inability to fully see this girl. His hair was obviously bleached, unlike the girl from before. He ran slightly past and Ren noticed the guy had a t-shirt on under his blazer, instead of the academy’s standard turtleneck. The boy screamed delinquent to him, but given his own circumstances, maybe he shouldn’t be so judgmental. 

“Dammit.., screw that pervy teacher,” said the blonde. His voice was rough and irritated.

“Pervy teacher?”, he uttered out. Unbeknownst to Ren, the app from before was open and recording his voice.

The other teen turned to look at him. His eyes were brown. He moved towards the ravenette, in an aggressive manner. However, Ren would not be intimidated.

“What do you want? You plannin’ on rattin’ me out to Kamoshida?”, growled the boy. 

Who? Ren had no idea who this Kamoshida person was.

The taller boy responded, “Kamoshida?”

The blonde’s face turned from aggressive to confused, “Huh? In that car just now. It was Kamoshida,” The boy said, as if Ren was supposed to know who that was.

“He does whatever the hell he wants. Who does he think he is-the king of a castle? ...don’t you agree?” 

“Which castle?”, the bespeckled boy asked humorously. He had hoped the joke would make the girl laugh. It would probably make up for his awkwardness earlier, but she didn’t make a sound. At least not that he heard.

The blonde obviously thought he was being serious, “uh, it’s just a sayin’...” Ren had to prevent himself from facepalming at the dense blonde.

At Ren’s blank stare, the rowdy student realized that he didn’t know who he was talking about.

“Wait. you don’t know Kamoshida? Are you for real? You’re from Shujin, right?”, asked the brown eyed boy.

Ren decided to be coy, “I think so…” he said in an even more joking tone. The girl still made no noise, ‘maybe she’s just quiet’. He wanted to look, but decided to keep his eye on the rough boy.

The blonde wasn’t amused, “You messing with me? You’re wearing a Shujin uniform.” 

Ren decided to push it, “these are my normal clothes,” he said in a blank tone. The blonde was unamused.

Ren decided to look behind himself and saw the girl with her eyes closed and a hand to her mouth. He could see a smile though, that was a good sign.

The blonde’s voice called his attention back over, “you're a second year, huh.. We’re in the same grade then.” Hopefully not the same class.

He then squinted his eyes, “never seen you before though.” 

Would be weird if you had.

“Oh, you must be a transfer student? Then no wonder you don’t know him.” 

So Blondie has a brain. Good, it would suck if everyone here couldn’t detect sarcasm.

He then noticed the red haired girl. Ren wasn’t surprised, she was very quiet.

“Hey, sorry I didn’t notice ya there”, the boy said to her. He scratched the side of his face with his pointer finger.

The girl spoke up for the first time, “It’s okay.” Her words were so low and soft Ren barely heard her.

She looked down dejectedly, and his heart lurched in sadness. What made her so sad? She obviously wasn’t okay.

“Oh, we should go. The rain ain’t too bad.” The blonde boy once more stole his attention from the girl.

He turned around and Ren was suddenly hit with a migraine. He heard the other two students grunt in pain as well. 

That was weird.

The boy was then hit with the feeling of lightheadedness.

He heard the other boy complain once more, “uuugh, my head hurts… Dammit… I wanna go home…” 

Same, bro, same.

He started to walk off, Ren followed, then did the girl. The boy led them down a shortcut. They cut across some alleyways. Ren looked back at the quiet girl behind him. Her eyes stayed downcast. Was she okay?

As the boy went to ask, he heard the blonde exclaim from up ahead. He went through the doorway.

When he looked up, he saw a large brick walls with a large gate in the middle. He looked up and gasped along with the other boy.

He heard the girl's soft voice, “a c-c-c-c-astle?” He would’ve taken the time to appreciate how cute she sounded, butttt...

He was too busy gaping at the structure before him, it really was a castle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all had fun. i know I did, I'm already working on chapter four.
> 
> If you have suggestions on things I could do better, please let me know.
> 
> P.S. this is my first fic, so I don't know if 1000 hits is a lot, but it feels like a lot. Thank you so much for reading.
> 
> Have a great day!

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all enjoyed my work, i find it hard to write in specifically first person, i enjoy the freedom of a third person perspective. However, i would like to see your thoughts on whether you think a directly first person perspective would suit my story better, or if you find this style adequate enough to convey my ideas.
> 
> Thank you for reading through the chapter, this will probably be slow burn and pretty long, so it may take awhile for me to get to the 'good' stuff.
> 
> Oguni is pretty small town to the north of Tokyo, to be honest i just wanted to have a name for his hometown so i just looked at a map of Japan and looked for a smallish town.
> 
> Next chapter will be more Sumire and Ren focused, and i plan to get to Ren's first day, at least, in the next chapter.
> 
> Let me know in the comments what you are excited for, and what you think i could do better
> 
> Have a great day!!!


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